German SPD leader urges members to back coalition talks

Reuters Staff

1 Min Read

BERLIN (Reuters) - The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) on Thursday asked party members to give the green light for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives to find a way out of the political impasse and leave all government options on the table.

Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz speaks during an SPD party convention in Berlin, Germany, December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

“We do not have to govern at any price. But neither should we decline to rule under any circumstances. What counts is what we can deliver,” Martin Schulz told a SPD party congress in Berlin.

The SPD should enter exploratory talks with the conservative bloc open-minded, look at what kind of policy the party could push through and leave all government options on the table, Schulz said, adding: “Content is important and not the form.”

Schulz said: “Our state must become stronger, our state must get better! For this the SPD is needed.”